Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Minnesota charges a flat $310.00 statewide for the first paper filed to open a probate.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Minnesota
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Minnesota, which means the estate skips the $310.00 above along with every other cost the court charges once a case is open. LawDepot builds a state-specific one.
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What Minnesota charges to open probate
This is a flat fee in Minnesota: $310.00 is what it costs whether the estate is worth $40,000 or $4,000,000.
| First paper filed to open probate (flat, statewide) | $310.00 |
| Total to open the estate | $310.00 |
| Fee whether the estate is $60,000 or $6,000,000 | same $310.00 (flat, doesn’t scale) |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Minn. Stat. § 525.033; § 357.021, subd. 2, cl. (1). In the source’s own words: “a fee of $310, except in marriage dissolution actions the fee is $340”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Minnesota’s fee is flat, it doesn’t rise as the estate grows, but it also doesn’t shrink for a small, simple estate the way a percentage-based state’s fee would. Either way, this is the court’s own charge just to open the file and issue letters, separate from what an attorney charges to actually handle the estate and separate from any state estate or inheritance tax the estate itself might owe.
Sources
Source: Minn. Stat. § 525.033; § 357.021, subd. 2, cl. (1).